I worked at Mawdsley's in the 60's in the planning office. They made 'parts' that went into electric motors. Their biggest customer as I recall was Lansing Bagnall who made forklift trucks. I remember putting half a crown in the ciggie machine, don't ask me why. Happy days. Went back to work in the planning office at Lister's after a spell at Mawdsley's.

I started as an apprentice at Mawdsley's in 1960 as an armature winder and electrical fitter. We were given good basic training on everything from Blacksmith to final testing. They made electrical motors and generators for a wide range of goods and were well known for their military contracts. Recent news leaked says that they produced parts for the decoding machines at Bletchley Park used during the last war.

Thanks for that Ken. yes, I've known about the Bletchley Park connection for several years after talking to someoone who worked on the parts made at Mawdsley's. Somewhere in my files I have more details of the project. It was all very hush hush, the lorry drivers who took parts from the factory met up in laybys with other drivers and the shipments were transferred over. That way no one knew the whole story! Andy

Hi KenThanks for the picture, the date is a bit later than the 1950s. The office block (bottom left) was officially opened on 12th October 1971 so my guess is early to mid 1970s.

The older, lower, building to the right of the office block was the restaurant and kitchen. The car parking area to the left of the restaurant was the site of the original Rivers Mill House, unfortunately demolished. The large factory in the background was the stores, assembly area, winding and fitting shops. To the right are the old zoneworks buildings.

I'm most pleased to find this site and some of the historical documents relating to Mawdsley's.I worked there from 1987 to 1990 initially as an apprentice, and then later in the electronics design department. I have some fond memories of that, my first job, and somewhat sad to see that it's no longer there, but all things must change I guess...